The Peoria Public Schools board of education has two new members.
Chanel Hargrave-Murry and Larry Ivory were sworn in during the board’s meeting Monday night.
Ivory replaces former board president Mike Murphy, who resigned in June after getting a new job. Ivory is the president and CEO of the Illinois State Black Chamber of Commerce.
“First let me thank my distinguished colleagues, for the role that they played in furthering the education of young people,” Ivory said during Monday’s meeting. “It is indeed an honor for me to be a part of this illustrious team to move forward with a common agenda of educating our children.”
Hargrave-Murry replaces Anni Reinking, who resigned in July due to family reasons. She is the supervisor of community connections with the Peoria Park District.
The two new members applied for the open positions and were chosen by the board of education.
Succession committee motion tabled
The board tabled a motion to establish a succession committee.
The motion was submitted by board members Martha Ross and Lynne Costic. Ross said in the past, the district has been reactive when things come up. She said this committee will allow them to establish a plan for emergency staff vacancies.
She said it could help answer questions surrounding the hiring process.
“Most people know since I've been on this board, whenever positions come up, my first question is, was it posted?” Ross said. “Do the people that work for us already have an opportunity to apply?
Ross said that the committee’s purpose was not specifically about superintendent Sharon Desmoulin-Kherat, who has two years left on her contract, but about having a plan in place for the future.
“Although she has two more years on her contract, none of us are sure that we're going to be here,” she said. “What if something happens? What's our plan, if it's not in writing.”
The motion had received criticism outside the board, including from the Peoria Federation of Teachers. President Jeff Atkins spoke during public comment to request the item be tabled so the union and community stakeholders could learn more about it and share their comments.
Kherat said during the meeting that there already is a chain of command if the superintendent is not able to perform their duties.
Board member Christina Rose, who was sworn in earlier this month, said she believed succession planning is important. But she requested more time for the new board members to get caught up and research the issue. The motion was tabled for future meetings.
